Senior Director, Legal - APAC

POSITION SUMMARY: Gates Corporation, a leading global manufacturing company, is looking for an experienced corporate attorney to support Gates’ operations and business lines in its APAC region (including Greater China).  The attorney will advise on Company commercial transactions, regulatory compliance, operations matter, joint ventures, employment/labor, corporate governance and M&A. The position is also responsible for managing claims and litigation pertaining to warranty, quality, contracts, employment, etc.  The attorney will report to the Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of Gates Corporation, with the position located in Singapore.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: including the following, other duties maybe assigned:

Commercial Contracts/Corporate Transactions (50%)

• Drafting and management of corporate contractual process including review of material contracts in the region.
• Advises on M&A and JV activities within the region.
• Conducts due diligence as necessary to support commercial and corporate transactions.
• Manages any claims and litigations related to commercial, operations and product liability matters, including proactive management of outside counsel expenses and active participation in strategy decisions and outside counsel’s preparation of court filings.

Corporate Governance and Regulatory Compliance (25%):

• Prepares, delivers and implements country and enterprise specific training on relevant and topical issues including, but not limited to, anti-corruption and export controls.
• Reviews and updates regional policies.
• Advises on import/export compliance for global products in the APAC region.
• Advises on the application of various global environmental and product safety regulatory schemes applicable in the APAC region.
• Advises on corporate governance matters and general regulatory reporting requirements.
• Prepares the annual APAC legal budget.

Employment and Labor (including advice, claims and litigation) (25%):

• Acts as a point person for legal support on assigned labor and employment matters and collaborates with Human Resources to mitigate employment-related risks.
• Reviews legal documents in support of labor and employment matters (e.g., offer letters, separation agreements, etc.)
• Conducts active oversight of outside counsel in employment litigation matters, including proactive management of outside counsel expenses and active participation in strategy decisions and outside counsel’s preparation of court filings.

QUALIFICATIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals to perform the essential functions. 

• Approximately 10-15 years of experience; with minimum 10 years of in-house counsel experience supporting multinational publicly listed corporations.
• Ability to provide sound legal advice and risk analysis, while simultaneously assisting the business teams in achieving commercial directives.
• Demonstrated experience supporting industrial manufacturing, engineering, automotive or related sectors.
• Experience implementing anti-corruption and export control procedures; knowledge and understanding of ethics and compliance best practices.
• Willingness to learn and understand internal operational, financial and technical matters in supporting global functional leaders in areas including finance, operations, IT, procurement and quality.
• Litigation experience required, preferably in product liability and quality issues and/or employment related employment issues.
• Proven ability to spot issues, research, investigate, and use independent judgment to solve problems.
• Excellent verbal communication skills, strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to communicate well within all levels of the organization and with external clients.
• Native or business-professional English and Mandarin Chinese required, including the ability to negotiate, draft and review complex legal documentation in both languages.
• Must have the initiative to anticipate needs, identify process improvements and provide solutions.
• Management experience preferred, including global team members.
• Approximately 20% travel, some international.

WORKING LOCATION:

Jurong East, Industrial Business Park